Once upon a time, there lived a handsome man and a beautiful woman. They were kind gentle and generous to all. The man worked hard to make his wife happy, and his wife loved him wildly. They lived in a quaint¹ home in the middle of a beautiful kingdom.

 

A large meadow behind the house provided flowers through spring and summer, and in a small field, sweet lambs grazed beside contented² cows. It was a home filled with cheer. When the husband and wife had a perfect baby girl, the home became happier still.

 

They named the baby Ella, and from the moment she was born, she was their little princess. True, she had no title or crown or castle. But she was the ruler of her own little kingdom. The forest and meadow were her borders, and the birds in the air and the critters in the fields were her subjects.

 

Whether she pretended to be an elephant traipsing through the Sahara or a wild horse galloping³ through the meadow, everyone, from the mice in the house to the cooks in the kitchen, was happy to play along. Both animal and human alike fell under her enchantment⁴, happier when in her presence.

 

很久以前，有一位英俊的男子和一位美丽的女人。他们对所有人都亲切善良，慷慨大方。男人辛勤地工作，要让妻子幸福，而妻子也深深地爱着丈夫。他们居住在一个美丽王国中部的一所古色古香的房子里。

 

他们的房子后面有一大片草地，从春天到夏天都开满了鲜花，还有一小块田地，可爱的牛羊在那里怡然自得地吃草。这是一个欢乐的家庭。当他们可爱的女儿降临时，这个家更是和乐融融。

 

他们给孩子取名叫瑞拉，孩子一出生就是他们的小公主。没错，她没有头衔，没有王冠，也没有城堡。但她却统治着自己的小王国：树林和草地是她的领地，空中的小鸟和田野里的动物是她的臣民。

 

不论她装成撒哈拉沙漠里游荡的大象，还是扮作草地上飞奔的野马，大家都喜欢和她一起玩耍，不管是屋里的小老鼠，还是厨房里的厨师。动物也好，人也好，都喜爱这位小姑娘，只要她一出现，大家就兴高采烈。

点击收听单词发音